Top banner
The World Factbook Banner

  Field Listing - Refugees and internally displaced persons


Country
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Afghanistan IDPs: 136,565 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and west due to drought and instability) (2006)
Algeria refugees (country of origin): 90,000 (Western Saharan Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf)
IDPs: 400,000-600,000 (conflict between government forces, Islamic insurgents) (2006)
Angola refugees (country of origin): 13,464 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
IDPs: 61,700 (27-year civil war ending in 2002; 4 million IDPs already have returned) (2006)
Armenia refugees (country of origin): 219,324 (Azerbaijan)
IDPs: 8,400 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, majority have returned home since 1994 ceasefire) (2006)
Azerbaijan refugees (country of origin): 2,800 (Russia)
IDPs: 580,000-690,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2006)
Bangladesh refugees (country of origin): 21,053 (Burma)
IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2006)
Benin refugees (country of origin): 26,632 (Togo) (2006)
Bosnia and Herzegovina refugees (country of origin): 7,458 (Croatia)
IDPs: 180,251 (Bosnian Croats, Serbs, and Muslims displaced in 1992-95 war) (2006)
Burma IDPs: 540,000 (government offensives against ethnic insurgent groups near the eastern borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan, and Mon) (2006)
Burundi refugees (country of origin): 20,359 (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
IDPs: 100,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2006)
Cameroon refugees (country of origin): 39,303 (Chad), 9,711 (Nigeria), 13,000 (Central African Republic); note - there are an additional 10,000 Central African refugees unregistered with UNHCR as of December 2006 (2006)
Central African Republic refugees (country of origin): 19,960 (Sudan), 3,325 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); note - UNHCR resumed repatriation of Southern Sudanese refugees in 2006
IDPs: 150,000 (ongoing unrest following coup in 2003) (2006)
Chad refugees (country of origin): 234,000 (Sudan), 41,246 (Central African Republic)
IDPs: 100,000 (2006)
China refugees (country of origin): 300,897 (Vietnam), estimated 30,000-50,000 (North Korea)
IDPs: 90,000 (2006)
Colombia IDPs: 1.8-3.8 million (conflict between government and illegal armed groups and FARC factions; drug wars) (2006)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the refugees (country of origin): 106,772 (Angola), 42,360 (Rwanda), 19,032 (Burundi), 18,954 (Uganda), 11,723 (Sudan), 5,243 (Republic of Congo)
IDPs: 1.1 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2006)
Congo, Republic of the refugees (country of origin): 56,380 (Democratic Republic of Congo), 6,478 (Rwanda)
IDPs: 48,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic Lari) (2006)
Costa Rica refugees (country of origin): 9,470 (Colombia) (2006)
Cote d'Ivoire refugees (country of origin): 39,919 (Liberia)
IDPs: 750,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2006)
Croatia IDPs: 4,200-7,000 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95 war) (2006)
Cyprus IDPs: 210,000 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many displaced for over 30 years) (2006)
Djibouti refugees (country of origin): 9,828 (Somalia) (2006)
East Timor IDPs: 150,000 (2006)
Ecuador refugees (country of origin): 9,851 (Colombia); note - UNHCR estimates as many as 250,000 Columbians are seeking asylum in Ecuador, many of whom do not register as refugees for fear of deportation (2006)
Egypt refugees (country of origin): 100,000 (Iraq), 70,255 (Palestinian Territories), 13,446 (Sudan) (2006)
Eritrea IDPs: 40,000-45,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; most IDPs are near the central border region) (2006)
Ethiopia refugees (country of origin): 73,927 (Sudan), 15,901 (Somalia), 10,700 (Eritrea)
IDPs: 100,000-280,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000 and ethnic clashes in Gambela; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2006)
Gabon refugees (country of origin): 7,298 (Republic of Congo) (2006)
Gambia, The refugees (country of origin): 5,955 (Sierra Leone) (2006)
Gaza Strip refugees (country of origin): 993,818 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2006)
Georgia IDPs: 220,000-240,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia) (2006)
Ghana refugees (country of origin): 38,684 (Liberia), 14,136 (Togo) (2006)
Guatemala IDPs: undetermined (estimates vary from none to 1 million displaced from government's scorched-earth offensive in 1980s against indigenous people) (2006)
Guinea refugees (country of origin): 54,810 (Liberia), 5,423 (Sierra Leone), 3,900 (Cote d'Ivoire)
IDPs: 19,000 (cross-border incursions from Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone) (2006)
Guinea-Bissau refugees (country of origin): 7,320 (Senegal) (2006)
India refugees (country of origin): 77,200 (Tibet/China), 50,730 (Sri Lanka), 9,700 (Afghanistan)
IDPs: at least 600,000 (about half are Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu and Kashmir) (2006)
Indonesia IDPs: 200,000-350,000 (government offensives against rebels in Aceh; most IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi Provinces, and Maluku), 300,000 (December 2006 floods in Aceh regions) (2006)
Iran refugees (country of origin): 662,355 (Afghanistan), 54,000 (Iraq) (2006)
Iraq refugees (country of origin): 22,698 (Palestinian Territories), 13,382 (Iran), 13,332 (Turkey)
IDPs: 1.6 million (ongoing US-led war and Kurds' subsequent return) (2006)
Israel IDPs: 150,000-420,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern Israel) (2006)
Jordan refugees (country of origin): 1,835,704 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)), 700,000 (Iraq)
IDPs: 160,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2006)
Kazakhstan refugees (country of origin): 5,000 (Russia) (2006)
Kenya refugees (country of origin): 150,459 (Somalia), 76,646 (Sudan), 14,862 (Ethiopia)
IDPs: 431,150 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2006)
Korea, North IDPs: 50,000-250,000 (government repression and famine) (2006)
Lebanon refugees (country of origin): 405,425 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)), 20,000-40,000 (Iraq)
IDPs: 17,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions), 200,000 (July-August 2006 war) (2006)
Liberia refugees (country of origin): 6,592 (Cote d'Ivoire)
IDPs: 13,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2006)
Libya refugees (country of origin): 8,873 (Palestinian Territories) (2006)
Macedonia IDPs: fewer than 1,000 (ethnic conflict in 2001) (2006)
Malaysia refugees (country of origin): 19,153 (Indonesia), 14,208 (Burma) (2006)
Maldives IDPs: 10,000 (December 2004 tsunami victims) (2006)
Mali refugees (country of origin): 6,165 (Mauritania) (2006)
Mexico IDPs: 10,000-12,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2006)
Namibia refugees (country of origin): 11,900 (Angola) (2006)
Nepal refugees (country of origin): 106,248 (Bhutan), 20,153 (Tibet/China)
IDPs: 100,000-200,000 (ongoing conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels; displacement spread across the country) (2006)
Nigeria refugees (country of origin): 6,051 (Liberia)
IDPs: undetermined (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President OBASANJO's election in 1999; displacement is mostly short-term) (2006)
Pakistan refugees (country of origin): 1,084,208 (Afghanistan)
IDPs: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan), 34,000 (October 2005 earthquake; most of those displaced returned to their home villages in the spring of 2006) (2006)
Papua New Guinea refugees (country of origin): 9,991 (Indonesia) (2006)
Peru IDPs: 60,000 (civil war from 1980-2000; most IDPs are indigenous peasants in Andean and Amazonian regions) (2005)
Philippines IDPs: 60,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu Sayyaf groups) (2006)
Russia IDPs: 25,000-180,000 (displacement from Chechnya and North Ossetia) (2006)
Rwanda refugees (country of origin): 41,403 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 4,400 (Burundi) (2006)
Saudi Arabia refugees (country of origin): 240,015 (Palestinian Territories) (2006)
Senegal refugees (country of origin): 19,712 (Mauritania)
IDPs: 22,400 (approximately 65 percent of the IDP population returned in 2005, but new displacement is occurring due to clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2006)
Serbia refugees (country of origin): 100,651 (Croatia), 46,951 (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
IDPs: 228,000 (mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999) (2006)
Sierra Leone refugees (country of origin): 59,952 (Liberia) (2006)
Somalia IDPs: 400,000 (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources) (2006)
South Africa refugees (country of origin): 10,609 (Democratic Republic of Congo), 7,548 (Somalia), 5,764 (Angola) (2006)
Sri Lanka IDPs: 500,000-600,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to long-term Tamil conflict renewed in 2006) (2006)
Sudan refugees (country of origin): 116,746 (Eritrea), 20,000 (Chad), 14,633 (Ethiopia), 7,901 (Uganda)
IDPs: 5,300,000 - 6,200,000 (internal conflict since 1980s; ongoing genocide in Darfur region, IDP registration for return to South Sudan started in 2005) (2006)
Syria refugees (country of origin): 600,000 (Iraq), 434,896 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))
IDPs: 305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2006)
Tanzania refugees (country of origin): 393,611 (Burundi), 150,112 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2006)
Thailand refugees (country of origin): 116,499 (Burma) (2006)
Togo refugees (country of origin): 8,000 (Ghana)
IDPs: 1,500 (2006)
Turkey IDPs: 1-1.2 million (fighting 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2006)
Turkmenistan refugees (country of origin): 11,173 (Tajikistan) (2006)
Uganda refugees (country of origin): 212,857 (Sudan), 20,564 (Democratic Republic of Congo), 20,213 (Rwanda)
IDPs: 1.2-1.7 million (350,000 IDPs returned in 2006 following ongoing peace talks between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda) (2006)
United States refugees (country of origin): the US admitted 62,643 refugees during FY04/05 including, 10,586 (Somalia), 8,549 (Laos), 6,666 (Russia), 6,479 (Cuba), 3,100 (Haiti), 2,136 (Iran) (2006)
Uzbekistan refugees (country of origin): 39,202 (Tajikistan)
IDPs: 3,400 (forced population transfers by government from villages near Tajikistan border) (2006)
West Bank refugees (country of origin): 705,207 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2006)
World the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that in December 2005 there was a global population of 8.4 million registered refugees, the lowest number in 26 years, and as many as 23.7 million IDPs in more than 50 countries; the actual global population of refugees is probably closer to 10 million given the estimated 1.5 million Iraqi refugees displaced throughout the Middle East (2006)
Yemen refugees (country of origin): 78,582 (Somalia) (2006)
Zambia refugees (country of origin): 75,468 (Angola), 61,243 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 5,669 (Rwanda) (2006)
Zimbabwe refugees (country of origin): 6,536 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
IDPs: 569,685 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2006)

This page was last updated on 15 March, 2007


Bottom Banner